MARTA police officer killed in crash while escorting funeral
ATLANTA -- An off-duty Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) police officer has been killed in a motorcycle crash while escorting a funeral procession.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Jesse Tarplin, 38, died Saturday afternoon after the crash outside a Fulton County funeral home.
Fulton County police Lt. Scott McBride told the newspaper that Tarplin was escorting a funeral procession when he collided with a vehicle that had stopped for the procession.
The cause of the collision with a car was unclear.
When a neighbor saw the crash outside of her home, she knew the motorcycle driver would be in bad shape, reports CBS affiliate WGCL.
"He was just lying in the street when I came out," said the neighbor.
Traplin was an 11-year veteran of the MARTA police force. He was a standout defensive end for the Georgia Tech football team in the 1990's.
His partner on the force tells WGCL that Tarplin has five children, and his wife is expecting a sixth.
McBride said Tarplin was using his personal motorcycle during the crash. He said no charges are expected to be filed against the driver of the other vehicle.